BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Vancouver forward Darren Mattocks poses a mismatch for almost any MLS defender. The quicksilver rookie showed that last week when he basically hurdled Toronto defender Logan Emory, heading home a Jordan Harvey cross in what eventually ended a 3-2 loss for the Whitecaps.
It was a freakishly athletic, jaw-dropping moment. And it hasn’t escaped the notice of guys who are tasked with keeping Mattocks off the scoreboard.
“He showed [Wednesday] that if he gets a free jump, he’s going to try to climb over people,” Fire central defender Austin Berry told MLSsoccer.com. “You need to at least get a hand on him or get a body on him early so he can’t get up like that, kind of shield him off for your goalkeeper to come and get that.”
GOAL: Mattocks Climbs over Kocic